Odia Pilot killed in helicopter crash in Goregaon

Mumbai/Bhubaneswar: Pilot Prafulla Kumar Mishra, hailing from Bhubaneswar, killed in a crash of a private helicopter at an isolated spot in the Mumbai suburb Goregaon on Sunday.

Mishra, the 52-year-old retired pilot of Indian Army, was declared dead at the hospital. He was working as a Chief Pilot and the COO at Aman Aviation Pvt Ltd.

According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Disaster Control, the helicopter, a Robinson R44 belonging to Aman Aviation Pvt Ltd, was on a sight-seeing flight over Mumbai when it suddenly crashed inside the forested Aarey Milk Colony and erupted into a fireball around 12.15 pm.

Dr Ashish Kumar Mishra, brother of Prafulla, said, “At 12.15 pm, one Colonel Wagh called up from Mumbai and said the helicopter made a ‘hard landing’. The helicopter accident can be called as a bad luck only.”

Remembering his brother, Mishra said he (Prafulla) was a brilliant pilot of the Indian Army. During the Kargil war, he rescued many soldiers from steep terrains.”

Kiran Kumar Chavan, DCP, Mumbai Police, who visited the spot, said, “At around 12.10 pm, a chopper crashed. Four boarders in the chopper were injured and rushed to Seven Hills hospital. As per the latest information one of the injured has died and others are undergoing treatment.”

Chavan added the chopper was going back to Juhu from where it took off.

A co-pilot and two passengers of the helicopter including a woman are reported to be in critical condition.